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If your kids have their own mobile phones, you do not need me to tell you that there are many days in a week, or even a month, when conflicts arise due to the usage and time spent on their mobile devices.
I feel you.
So I shall cut to the chase and let you in on a great parental control app I discovered a few weeks ago. And I shall be honest about it - when I was first approached to review this app, my first thought was, "Why not? I will try it out but I am pretty certain that I will probably delete this app after a few weeks because it will outlive its usefulness by then".
Boy, I was so wrong.
Today, the app is still going strong in my phone and I am still using it every day to track both Ash's and Ayd's - Ale doesn't have a phone yet - mobile usage activity. In fact, I have introduced it to some of my friends and they have already been using it too!
Name of the app? Tittle.
Available on Android and iOS, Tittle is the parental control app which I never knew I needed but it has turned out to be possibly the biggest saviour for me when it comes to managing both Ash's and Ayd's screen times.
To put it simply, Tittle helps parents control and keep track of their children’s smartphones. Not only does the app aid me in curbing the boys' time on their phones, it also allows me to track their whereabouts as well as helping them navigate through the internet in a more effective manner. The latter is hugely important because you know, everything from good to bad is lurking online nowadays.
So yes, Tittle is occupying the prime spot on my phone's first page and here are the reasons why:
Easy to set up
To set up Tittle, you will have to download the app onto TWO (or more if you have more than 1 child) mobile phones - your phone and your child's phone. Open the app on both phones and pair the two devices together by scanning the QR code shown in your device’s app. And you are all set!
App Access
*Feature is limited in iOS devices
Tittle gives you the ability to view ALL of your kids' apps on their smartphones and control them too. No more tucking away an app in an obscure folder on the phone - Parents will be able to know every single app on the child's phone.
More importantly, you have the power to block access to various apps and browsers at your discretion. Let's say you want to prevent your children from using Instagram and YouTube during weekdays, you can block the respective apps from loading with just a click each. Better yet, you can disable access to all apps for all child devices with just one click!
App Activity
*Feature exclusive to Android devices
Tittle gets even more powerful as it allows you to see your children’s app activity on their smartphones. You can easily monitor which apps your kids have downloaded as well as the apps they have deleted too!
It even gives updates on the apps that have been updated in the store. Oh yes, rest assured they can not delete the Tittle app from their smartphone. Heh.
App Usage
*Feature exclusive to Android devices
This feature allows parents to check the amount of time their child spends on each mobile app. Very useful if you need solid proof to back up your claim that your child is spending way too much time on Fortnite or YouTube!
Data Usage
*Feature exclusive to Android devices
The vastness of the internet is a very powerful thing. In fact, it is so powerful that my monkies can sometimes spend hours and hours trawling the web for information, articles and videos. Who watches TV these days? And sometimes, they can get so engrossed in using their devices that they forget to switch to WiFi... which is bad news for my wallet!
With the Tittle app, I can set a daily/weekly/monthly data limit so that the kids’ data usage can be monitored remotely. The data on Tittle gets updated every 15 minutes, giving us a good sense of the consumption and is a good feature to have.
Schedule
We all need some order in our lives and ditto for kids. While the wifey and I employ a strict 'No phones after 9pm rule', I admit that screen time is harder to manage in the day time when they are in school or at home while we are still at work.
Again, Tittle is a lifesaver when it comes to managing how much time my kids are spending on smartphones. All I have to do is to create multiple time block schedules - adding a To-Do activity list for a particular day AND managing the apps that are accessible to them during that time.
Before a schedule starts, they will receive a notification from Tittle that the schedule will begin in 10 mins time, and to save whatever they are working on. Therein lies the beauty of the Tittle app - it encourages communication between parent and child and is not solely based on a one-sided control. Through the introduction of schedules, the app helps to set boundaries that the kids must adhere to but yet empowers them to be responsible enough to complete the activities before access to the phone is granted.
Location and Geofencing
With Ash being in Secondary School this year, the frequency of him hanging out with his friends after school will increase. So it is extremely useful that Tittle is able to track a child's location as well. Great if your kids travel to and from school on their own, or even when they are out with their friends.
Even if the child’s device loses connection or goes into sleep mode, you will receive an app notification too. In the Location screen, the marker will turn grey and the ‘Last Seen’ address will be displayed instead.
Besides location tracking, Tittle also offers a Geofencing option where you can set boundaries using specific addresses or Google landmarks. It's like having your child tell you that he/she is going to a friend's house in Punggol. You can set up to 2km boundary radius from that friend's house location and should your child enter or leave that area, you will receive notification alerts. Pretty useful!
Web Tracking
The internet is one huge Pandora box. That I think all of us can agree.
Older kids may be more discerning (hopefully) but what about younger kids? Even though Ale does not a have a phone yet, she is also spending more time on the internet these days as she uses her brothers' phones sometimes .And for a 7-year-old, parental guidance on the internet is absolutely necessary.
Monitoring and blocking what they access in a web browser is vital and thankfully, Tittle has a feature for that too.
Kids will be able to access a custom web browser within the Tittle app on their phone (which means you have to disable all other web browsers to 'force' them to use it). But the advantage in doing so is being able to review your child’s website history with the custom browser, and safeguard them from inappropriate content (such as violent, gambling or adult websites) by blocking these URLs. One nifty feature is you can also view and block websites that were blocked by others.
Tasks
Now this is one of my fave feature of the lot. Parents can create daily or recurring tasks for their kids via the app. You can set goals, due dates and rewards to motivate them.
This is how it will look like on the child's phone:
And thanks to the in-built messaging tool, parent and child can communicate through messages within the specific task.
Task completed? All you have to do is to acknowledge it on the app!
Multi-Access
Manage and control all your child devices via multiple parent access. So even if you are overseas for work, you can still have peace of mind.
What all of the above means is Tittle is highly mobile and convenient. I can access Tittle anytime and anywhere - with just one click.
Just one caveat though - due to various limitations of the iOS in Apple's iPhones, Android phones are recommended as the preferred devices for kids in order for all the features that I mentioned above to work effectively.
After using it for close to one month, I have to say Tittle is THE best app in its class if you are looking to control your kids' smartphones. And this is coming from a parent who has tried a number of parental control apps over the years.
Controlling a child's phone no doubt is great... especially if the child is still young. But with Tittle, I find that the objective is not that of cutting down the screen time (it does help too). Rather, it is more about helping the child manage screen time well and aiding him or her in using it right.
I am able to see the apps Ash and Ayd are using and downloading, how long they are using the phone, block access to the phone or certain apps at various times, set tasks and track their current location. All these with just a few taps and swipes of the Tittle app on my phone.
Okay okay, so the app is super good BUT HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Well, you better believe it - TITTLE IS AVAILABLE FOR A FREE TRIAL PERIOD OF 14 DAYS!
All of the features that I mentioned are included during the free trial period so no harm in trying Tittle out and judge for yourself if it is effective for you as it has been for me.
Absolute power? You got it.
For more information, visit tittleforparents.com
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